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Araceae
Rhaphidophora talamauana Alderw.
SUMMARY
Medium to large, rather robust, semipachycaul (?) homeophyllous (?) liane to unknown ultimate height; seedling stage & pre-adult plants unknown; LEAVES: adult shoot architecture comprised of greatly elongated, clinging, physiognomically monopodial, leafy, non-flowering stems and long, moderately elaborated, free, sympodial, densely leafy, flowering stems; stems smooth, climbing free stems terete in cross-section, internodes to 1.5-4.5 x 0.3-0.5 cm on free shoots, separated by very well defined, strongly oblique leaf scars; flagellate foraging stems, clasping roots, & feeding roots not observed; leaves scattered, distichous on free shoots; cataphylls and prophylls not observed and presumably very swiftly falling; petiole grooved adaxially, 3-12 x 0.2-0.3 cm, smooth, apical and basal genicula well defined; petiolar sheath not observed in entirety, presumably very swiftly drying, patches of think tissue observed and sheath falling to leave a continuous conspicuous scar from the petiole base, around the top of the apical geniculum and back to the base; lamina entire, oblique-ovate-lanceolate to obovate-lanceolate, 12-27 x 2-7.5 cm, thinly coriaceous, upper surfaces slightly glossy, lower surfaces matt, base cuneate, apex acute to long-acuminate, with a slender apiculate tubule; midrib slightly raised abaxially, slightly sunken adaxially; primary venation pinnate, slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; interprimaries parallel to primaries and only slightly less prominent, very slightly raised abaxially and adaxially; secondary and tertiary venation ± obscure in fresh material, faintly visible as a weak reticulum in dried specimens; INFLORESCENCE solitary, subtended by a fully developed foliage leaf; peduncle strongly compressed-cylindric, 3-5 x c. 0.4 cm; spathe cigar-shaped, stoutly beaked, 6-6.5 x 1-3 cm, green before opening; spadix weakly clavate-cylindrical, sessile, inserted slightly obliquely on peduncle, c. 6 x 1.5 cm; stylar region mostly rhombohexagonal, 1-2 x 1.5-2 mm, truncate; stigma punctiform to very slightly elongate, flat, c. 0.25-0.3 mm diam.; anthers apparently not exserted at anthesis; INFRUCTESCENCE c. 10 x 2.5 cm.